diplomacy

A train is ready on the station during the handover ceremony of the high-speed rail project in Vientiane, Laos, connecting the city with Kunming, China, on Dec. 3, 2021.

With U.S. focused on defense, China's trade and infrastructure sweep Southeast Asia

7:43am January 20, 2022

by Julie McCarthy

The Biden administration hopes to make deeper inroads in Southeast Asia but lags far behind China, which has already built up major trade ties, as well as roads and a high-speed rail.

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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (center) and Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko arrive for the NATO-Russia Council at NATO headquarters, in Brussels, Wednesday. Senior NATO and Russian officials met to try to bridge differences ove

World News

4 things Russia wants right now

5:03pm January 12, 2022

by Charles Maynes

Russia forced the West into a flurry of diplomacy this week with its massive troop buildup on its border with Ukraine. Here's a short guide to what the Kremlin wants.

Qin Gang fields questions during a news conference around the Six-Party Talks on North Korea's nuclear program in Beijing in 2005. He served as spokesperson for the Chinese delegation.

China's New U.S. Ambassador Pioneered The Foreign Ministry's Brash Tone

4:10pm July 28, 2021

Qin Gang brought a tougher style to China's foreign ministry pulpit. Now he is Beijing's man in Washington, inheriting a hard post amid the most fraught relations in years between China and the U.S.

In this 2011 photo, Joe Biden, then vice president, shakes hands with Vladimir Putin, then Russia's prime minister, in Moscow. President Biden will hold a summit with Putin this week in Geneva, a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders that comes ami

5 Things To Watch At The Biden-Putin Summit

12:05pm June 14, 2021

The June 16 Geneva summit between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is a chance for the two leaders to map out how they will manage a difficult relationship. Here's what to know.

A general view of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul in 2013. The State Department announced Tuesday "the departure from U.S. Embassy Kabul of U.S. government employees whose functions can be performed elsewhere."

State Department Orders Departure Of Nonessential Personnel From Kabul Embassy

4:21pm April 27, 2021

The order came Tuesday, amid concerns about heightened violence as U.S. and NATO troops depart Afghanistan. U.S. officials would not confirm the number of those leaving but insisted it would be small.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks to media in Tokyo this month. Suga will take part in a Friday summit meeting with President Biden, the first foreign leader to meet the president face to face.

China To Loom Large At Biden's Summit With Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga

12:46pm April 15, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

As the U.S. tries to enlist allies to help meet the challenges posed by China, perhaps no nation is more central than Japan. Suga is the first foreign leader to meet face-to-face with President Biden.

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Chinese and U.S. table tennis players train together in April 1971 in Beijing. April 10 marks the 50th anniversary of what became known as pingpong diplomacy between the two nations.

50 Years Later, The Legacy Of U.S.-China 'Pingpong Diplomacy' Faces Challenges

11:11am April 10, 2021

by John Ruwitch

April 10 marks the 50th anniversary of when U.S. table tennis players first visited China in a diplomatic breakthrough. But today, the political winds have shifted — in both countries.

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Antony Blinken listens last week during his confirmation hearing to be secretary of state before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Senate Confirms Antony Blinken As Secretary Of State

1:42pm January 26, 2021

by Michele Kelemen

The Senate confirmed Antony Blinken as President Biden's secretary of state on Tuesday. The vote was 78-22. As the top U.S. diplomat, Blinken will face an array of national security challenges.

President-elect Joe Biden listens as his secretary of state nominee, Antony Blinken, speaks in Wilmington, Del., in November. Blinken told senators at his confirmation hearing Tuesday, "Humility and confidence should be the flip sides of America's leaders

Secretary Of State Nominee Blinken Promises A Reengaged America Abroad

6:43pm January 19, 2021

by Michele Kelemen

"Humility and confidence should be the flip sides of America's leadership coin," Antony Blinken testified at his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, where he vowed to work for the "greater good."

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Technicians work inside of a uranium conversion facility producing unit in 2005 outside the city of Isfahan, Iran. After the 2015 Iran nuclear deal put limits on the program, Iran's government has been increasing uranium enrichment since the United States

World News

Opinion: Iran Is Escalating Its Nuclear Program. Biden Should Not Rush To Respond

10:18am January 08, 2021

by Henry Rome

Iran has announced new nuclear steps aimed at the incoming Biden administration, but the U.S. has leverage to push back, argues analyst Henry Rome.